Tottenham Hotspur 0-2 Chelsea

Spuds were giving a good account of themselves until Mido shoved his arm in Del Horno's face while challenging for a header. It looked more a yellow-card offence than a red, but a red was what he got. Shortly after that Del Horno himself scored with a header from a corner. Chelsea continued to control the game from then on. Duff sealed the victory late on with a mishit shot that bounced off the turf and past the bamboozled Robinson. Robinson had had to made several great saves to reduce the damage.

Still top, and record against Spurs extends.

Chelsea 4-0 West Bromwich Albion

West Brom, in an attempt to save their best players for Saturday's derby with Brum, left out 5 first team players. The resulting team was pathetic, not even managing a single shot on target. Lampard scored two, Cole one, and Drogba one. Cudicini got a run out but had nothing to do. We are once again top.

Essien-induced displacements

Tiago leaves for Lyon. Jarosik leaves for Brum on loan, with a permanent transfer agreed at the end of this season.

Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal

Finally beat those cunts in the league.

From the Guardian:
Chelsea make the most of Drogba's good fortune
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge
Monday August 22, 2005
Having trounced the opposition last season Chelsea, for the sake of variety, have now taken to teasing them. For the second week in a row the champions have performed drably before winning 1-0, almost despite themselves. Didier Drogba settled the encounter with a goal characterised by luck and, as in the Community Shield, a capacity for paralysing Arsenal's young Swiss centre-back Philippe Senderos with apprehension. Chelsea, none the less, would not have struck terror into many hearts with this display, unless rival managers quake at the thought that a great improvement by Jose Mourinho's squad is an inevitability. While the Stamford Bridge players wait to retrieve their best form, they were able to while away an afternoon by beating Arsenal in a league fixture for the first time in 10 years.
Arsène Wenger, therefore, marked his 500th match in charge of Arsenal by shedding three points to Chelsea for the first time. But he was much too annoyed by proceedings to slink into self-pity. He was a picture of discontent in front of the dug-out, muttering to himself and gesturing in exasperation. If a new Arsenal really is being raised by him, Wenger has to pace the floor during its teething pains. There are some compromises in the Frenchman's thinking as he reacts to Chelsea's domination. His Arsenal were defensive. Wenger had actually turned to what might have been termed the Keegan Protocol. Last season, while in charge of Manchester City, Kevin Keegan had used an attacker to stifle Chelsea and glean a draw from Stamford Bridge.
Claude Makelele is the starter motor of Mourinho's team, but the ignition kept cutting out in that game as Antoine Sibierski carried out his sabotage mission. Wenger wanted Robert Pires to undertake a similar job yesterday, but he had to be reassigned to the wing following an early injury to Freddie Ljungberg. Robin van Persie came on but did not hamper Makelele much.
The Frenchman and others guaranteed that Chelsea were marginally the better of two sides who succumbed to mediocrity. In the first minute, Frank Lampard released Damien Duff and the Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had to be smart in his response to touch the ball away from the area. A corner ensued and Asier Del Horno's header was prevented from reaching the net only by the chest of Ljungberg. This passage of play was misleading, though, since it did not herald any kind of barrage by Chelsea. It could even have been the visitors who opened the scoring after 12 minutes, but Ljungberg lashed high from an angle.
As champions, it will always be Chelsea who are under under review, and they will be judged strictly. While Lampard, for instance, ran and crossed well in the 42nd minute for Arjen Robben to hit a bouncing finish against the head of Lehmann, there was some disquiet about the midfielder.
Here, as at Wigan, he bore no resemblance to the enterprising plunderer of defences who was so admired last season. It could be that he is still to reach peak condition after a foot operation in the summer and there may even be an extra pound or two on the frame of a man who had acquired a lean look over his sea sons with Chelsea. Mourinho, though, will not be anxious and he must be more perplexed by the fashion in which Hernán Crespo conducted himself. Anyone who thought the Argentinian would be galvanised by his beautiful winner at Wigan has failed to appreciate how tortuous the psychology of this striker really is.
He was listless for as long as he lasted and when a questioner suggested that Crespo had lacked support the manager's contempt for such an explanation was unmistakable.
Drogba, despite his harrying of Senderos in the Community Shield, had surprisingly been named among the substitutes, but that may only have seen the neurosis in the 20-year-old Swiss expand as he awaited the introduction of his nemesis.
Drogba, by and large, was not intimidating and Mourinho probably trembled merely with frustration when the Ivory Coast international sliced a first-time shot foolishly off-target. After 73 minutes, however, Lampard chipped a free-kick into the right of the penalty area and Arsenal, possibly aiming to operate an offside trap, did not get the benefit of a decision too tight for the officials to guarantee that the geometry had been assessed perfectly. The attacker deserved to be allowed to proceed.
Senderos, as he did for the opener in Cardiff, had let Drogba elude him by a couple of yards. The ball then bounced against the outside of of the attacker's knee and, with Lehmann wrong-footed, Chelsea had their lead.
The most disappointing aspect of Arsenal's efforts was they never looked liable to score before or after that breakthrough by Drogba, even if Ashley Cole did claim to have been bowled over in the penalty area early in the afternoon.
Chelsea should take pride in that and also in the pairing of John Terry and William Gallas. During the 21 matches of Mourinho's tenure in which the Englishman and the Frenchman have been together at centre-back, they have conceded only two goals. Maybe the excellent Ricardo Carvalho should not be so confused by his current exclusion from the line-up.
Even if they did not require to do so, Chelsea could have scored a second in stoppage time after Senderos had knocked the ball into Drogba's path, but the shot went straight to Lehmann.
Michael Essien, Chelsea's record signing, had made his debut by then as a substitute. The Ghana midfielder dispossessed Cole and the left-back was booked for the foul that followed.
Essien had helped Chelsea see out the match with a narrow lead intact. He may do rather a lot of that in the years to come.

Essien Joins

Finally, after much dithering by Lyon. For 26 million pounds.

Wigan post-match

From the Official Chelsea Website:

Despite the last gasp win at Wigan, José Mourinho was clearly not a happy man after the game.

Single goal victories were not uncommon during Chelsea's Championship winning season but this one was different. You did not need the skills of a mind reader to tell that the performance had disappointed the manager in a way not seen before in his time in England.

“If somebody tried to understand our system today they wouldn’t have been able to, because there was no system,” Mourinho reflected.

“The left winger was playing inside, the right winger was playing inside, the striker was playing on the left, the midfielders were playing in the same line, nobody playing in different lines. It was too bad to be true.

“The second-half we improved from the first minute. We played with three at the back which was a risky situation but we had to do it. The goal was magnificent, incredible, but I don’t think we deserved the three points.”

The switch to a back three of Terry, Gallas and Ferreira occurred when match winner Hernán Crespo was introduced on the hour. Prior to that Mourinho had swapped Gudjohnsen with Joe Cole and Robben with Wright-Phillips in a half-time reaction to the sub-standard opening half. He refused to individually criticise the players withdrawn.

“I blame myself, I blame them, I blame everybody else. We are in the same boat, Champions together, losing together, playing bad together and improving together - and I think today was a good lesson for us. Normally you lose matches to wake up. Today we have the chance to wake up without losing a match.

The puzzled manager added: “We knew all about Wigan. We were prepared for them and I thought my players were prepared because we worked well during the week.

“We didn’t deserve to lose because my keeper, my defenders and Makelele and Lampard in midfield fought very hard to keep a clean sheet. The defenders were in difficult circumstances in the second-half because we gave Wigan a lot of space by playing only three defenders, and it is very difficult chasing people like Camara and Roberts on the counter-attack.

“We had a little bit of luck when somebody hit the bar but we deserved a clean sheet. But to win you must play better than this and the first-half was very poor. We were never in control of the game, never had ball possession and players were out of position.”

As soon as Crespo’s thunderbolt hit the back of the JJB Stadium net, even before the referee blew the final whistle, Mourinho raced across to speak to his opposite number Paul Jewell.

“I told him it was unfair,” the Chelsea boss explained. “You can do nothing at that time. The goal is there and unbelievable, and the points are in our side. At that moment the game is over. I am only saying what he already knows - the result is not fair to them.”

Jewell was understandably a man of mixed emotions as he spoke after the match. On one hand he was proud his Premiership debutants had more than matched the Champions but on the other he was still reeling from a Crespo knockout punch that had totally deflated the vociferous Wigan crowd .

“I never wanted it to be a carnival day,” Jewell said, looking back on the big opening to their season. “It is a football match and we are paid to win matches. It was never going to be lambs to the slaughter. We had determination and a plan to beat Chelsea and it almost worked.”

He defend his players against an accusation that they were naïve in counter-attacking for a win in the closing minutes when the possibility was there to play out time for a draw.

“I was a bit disappointed we didn’t do better on one break because it was three v two and we could have won it. The way I want to play is to be positive. Playing for draws week in, week out won’t suit us although today we would have been delighted with a draw.

“We had a corner with a couple of minutes of normal time to go and people will maybe say we should have kept it in the corner. With 30 seconds to go we might have done that but with five minutes to go you have got to try to win the game.”

Mourinho, knowing that as title-holders his team will face spirited performances like this one every single game, finished his assesment with an order for his players.

“We have to play better [than last season]. But we normally do play better than this.

“I cannot remember a game last season like this. Maybe Birmingham 0 Chelsea 1 when Joe Cole scored with a deflection with 10 or 15 minutes to go. It was a similar game. After that game we were very strong. Birmingham was also our first game away from home so maybe that is a good sign.”

And more quotes:

"They didn't deserve to lose the game," Mourinho said. "In that game you couldn't tell who were the Championship champions and who were the Premiership champions. The two teams were exactly the same. My defenders were brilliant in difficult circumstances. At times we were too slow and some of the players didn't look motivated.

"At half-time I told them, 'Don't come knocking on my door crying that you are not in the team because now I have to make changes.'I feel sorry for Wigan and I don't feel they deserved to lose, but that's football."

Wigan 0-1 Chelsea

Soccernet's Insider reports:

'Here 'cos it's Wigan, you're only here 'cos it's Wigan.' Perhaps the home crowd were flattering themselves, but who could blame them? As Wigan completed their 27-year journey from non-league to Premier League, there was, understandably, something of a festival feel around the JJB Stadium.

As your correspondent arrived, the Latics All Stars (cheerleaders, not Mick Quinn, Mike Newell and other distinguished old boys) got their pom-poms out to dance. From a stall came the sound of the J.Geils Band 'classic' Centerfold blaring out.

Inside the ground, the entertainment continued, though bringing in opera singer Lawrence Robinson on to the pitch may have backfired. The Chelsea supporters launched into an enthusiastic rendition of 'Jose Mourinho'.

But the PR offensive carried on. The match programme came with one booklet titled 'Wigan: A Premier Town' and another, '25 things you never knew about Wigan'. And it came as news to this observer that Angus Fraser, the permanently red-faced England cricketer who began every spell with the air of a man who had just completed a marathon, was born in Wigan.

Anyway, this was civic pride in excelsis. In this context, comparisons with Barnsley are obvious, but as a club, Wigan have more in common with Bolton, with just a hint of Blackburn, Charlton and Ipswich about them; resources, facilities and the nous to suggest survival is no pipe dream.

But, the last time your correspondent watched Wigan, they drew 1-1 with Accrington Stanley. It was hard to say who was the better team.

And without a hint of flattery, Jose Mourinho was able to deliver a similar verdict here. He had a point; Wigan more than bridged the divide from Accrington to Chelsea.

But they could be forgiven for approaching Henri Camara with a sense of trepidation. The Senegalese has speed and skill, and an unfortunate habit of getting relegated. It all suggests a deluxe, 21st century version of Nathan Blake. But twice within five minutes, he had the sharpness and quick footwork to elude the Chelsea defence. Petr Cech saved his first shot, while the second fizzed into the side-netting.

Then, a show of fearlessness from Jimmy Bullard. He accelerated away from Arjen Robben - who made a despairing attempt to bring him down - used his skill to escape Claude Makelele's attentions and then laid the ball off to a team-mate before being clattered by Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Next up, a glaring miss from Alan Mahon, blazing over from eight yards after Camara dispossessed Frank Lampard. That, in itself, is something of a rarity, but an indication of an unusually sluggish Chelsea performance.

Ah yes, Chelsea. They've had another quiet summer: Premier League inquiries, more record fines, ongoing transfer sagas, £29 million spent (a sum that could yet be doubled), and Mourinho watched 'Fantastic Four' (twice).

The nifty quartet he picked today were Robben, Lampard, Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff, roaming between Claude Makelele and Didier Drogba, it was as much 4-1-4-1 as 4-3-3 But a double substitution at half-time was either a rare show of dissatisfaction or an indication of the options at his disposal. Mourinho swiftly confirmed it was the former. And it took the introduction of Shaun Wright-Phillips and then, on the hour, Hernan Crespo, to bring some urgency.

To counter Chelsea's attacking arsenal, Wigan's game plan was simple, but effective: defend deep. It's fair to say pace does not rank near the top of any list of Arjan de Zeuuw and Stephane Henchoz's strengths, but they defended immaculately; judgment and timing are underrated merits for centre backs to possess.

Alongside them, right back Pascal Chimbonda had a hugely successful debut, seeing off first Robben and then Duff. Mourinho gave him a third opponent on the left flank, shifting Asier del Horno forward and switching to 3-5-2.

It was almost the catalyst for a Wigan winner. Twice Gary Teale was granted more room on Wigan's right flank; Damien Francis headed his first cross on to the bar and Andreas Johansson volleyed the second over.

And deep into injury time, the cruellest of twists to the tale, courtesy of Crespo, with a truly wonderful winner to end a strangely poor Chelsea performance. It was, as Mourinho admitted, undeserved.

The last time Wigan beat Chelsea, the Daily Mirror's alliterative headline was 'Ferret Fancier Fells Fashionable Chelsea'. Sadly, we will not find out if Paul Jewell's team share the same proclivities as their predecessors. But they could have felled fashionable Chelsea.

Charity Shield - Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal

From Soccernet:

Didier Drogba responded to Chelsea's summer-long courtship of an array of leading European forwards and the recall of Hernan Crespo by emerging as his side's Community Shield match-winner with a double strike in a 2-1 win over Arsenal.

And so Chelsea began the new season just as ominously as they ended the last, with an edge over their nearest rivals, whom they face again in the Premiership in just two weeks' time.

By then, Arsenal must find an answer to their lack of physical stature due to the sale of Patrick Vieira and the continued absence of Sol Campbell through injury.

Otherwise Chelsea could take a rather more significant step towards retaining their trophy than this clear signal of their intentions, which again showcased the strength of their squad.

For while the likes of Andrei Shevchenko, David Trezeguet and Samuel Eto'o may have eluded them, there was still £75million worth of talent on the bench - even before the potential arrive of their next target, Michael Essien.

Drogba, meanwhile, provided another retort to those who have branded the club's £24million record signing as a waste of money, adding two more goals to his tally of 16 last season.

More worryingly for Arsenal, Philippe Senderos was clearly at fault for the Chelsea striker's eighth-minute strike and was again held off rather too easily when Drogba made it 2-0 just 13 minutes after the restart.

Indeed, although Arsenal did pull a goal back through Cesc Fabregas with 25 minutes left, they are now relying rather too heavily on either Gilberto Silva or Campbell to strengthen their spine.

The Gunners were still spiky, especially when Lauren appeared to clip Drogba after the whistle had gone and Jens Lehmann accused the striker of feigning injury, but they were, in truth, never quite competitive enough.

Ashley Cole was certainly relentless in his tackling as if to prove his loyalty after his talks with Chelsea, leaving Arjen Robben sprawling after one challenge and fortunate not to be booked for another foul on Drogba.

However, ironically enough, it was Asier del Horno - the Spanish international whom Chelsea signed instead of Cole - who set up their opener, with Wenger given further cause for concern about his defence.

Senderos may have been a rock-like figure in the second-half of last season when he replaced Campbell in central defence.

However, he was not only left standing as Drogba strode onto del Horno's through-ball but also failed to get in a real challenge before the striker clipped his shot past Lehmann.

Del Horno fitted comfortably into Chelsea's excellent defence, while Arsenal looked rather more vulnerable, even if Fabregas battled away and was booked along with Claude Makelele as they squared up to each other.

With Thierry Henry closely marked, it was left to Kolo Toure to not only win back possession but also stride onto a mishit pass by his new captain to force Cech into a diving save just before the break.

Otherwise, Arsenal were rather short of inspiration and they made three changes at the break, with Alexander Hleb introduced along with Gilberto Silva and Robin van Persie, who are both still short of match-sharpness.

Hleb's first touches were certainly encouraging, but when Drogba charged onto a long ball forward, the match was effectively put beyond Arsenal's reach.

The 27-year-old Chelsea striker, who initially held off Senderos' attempted challenge, may have been pushed wide by Lehmann but he swiftly recovered his footing to swivel and scoop his shot into the unguarded net.

That was the cue for Crespo, who was on loan at AC Milan last season, to replace him, but Drogba's job was done.

Or so it seemed, at least until Fabregas pulled a goal back with 25 minutes left when he stabbed the ball home after the Chelsea defence had failed to clear Ljungberg's deflected cross.

Despite an array of substitutions, Arsenal actually started to play some neat one-touch football in the closing stages, with van Persie shooting wide at full stretch after Hleb had won the ball off del Horno.

However, while Cech saved from Henry and Lampard tested out Lehmann, it was left to Toure to produce a last-ditch interception to deny Crespo after Fabregas had conceded possession to Joe Cole.

Having drawn twice with Arsenal last season, this time Chelsea emerged victorious. Indeed, it was a case of new season, same old story as Mourinho added one more trophy to his growing haul of Stamford Bridge silverware.

Transfers

Coming In:
Hernan Crespo (AC Milian) - back from loan
Asier del Horno (Athletic Bilbao) - £8million
Lassana Diarra (Le Havre) - Undisclosed
Thomas Lyskov (Reading) - Undisclosed
Scott Sinclair (Bristol Rovers) - Undisclosed
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man C) - Undisclosed

Getting Out:
Scott Parker (Newcastle) - £6.5million
Mateja Kezman (Atletico) - £5.35million
Mikael Forssell (Birmingham) - £3million
Sam Tillen (Brentford) - Free
Joe Keenan (Brentford) - Loan
Kevin McKinlay (Ross County) - Loan
Miguel Nuno Morais (Maritimo) - Loan
Alexei Smertin (Charlton) - Loan
Juan Sebastian Veron (Inter) - Loan
Ben Hudell - Released
Sebastien Kneissl - Released
Filipe Oliveira - Released
Danny Woodwards - Released